It was a full ten minutes after Rei's words that Robel finally opened his mouth—ten minutes he'd spent in silence, casting his gaze every which way.
Whether to consider that a long time or a short one depended on the person.
After all, depending on how things played out, there was even a chance the trading company Robel managed could go under.
"I—I still can't leave the Dolan Workshop matter as it is. Now that we know the truth, we have to act."
His eyes darted anxiously, yet the substance of his words was entirely at odds with his timid appearance and demeanor.
At first glance, Robel looked like nothing more than a small-time operator—but one could easily understand that his character was formidable enough to move the autonomous city of Egginis.
"I'm glad you made that decision."
"N—no. This incident is partly our own fault. We were blinded by the high performance of the Dolan Workshop's golems. Given that, setting things right is our responsibility too."
"…So, how do we move?"
Orban interjected into the conversation between Rei and Robel.
Rei, meeting Robel for the first time, was surprised that someone who seemed so unremarkable had made such a decisive call. But for Orban, who had known him for years, it was easy to predict what judgment Robel would reach in this situation.
That was precisely why he could jump into the conversation without missing a beat.
"W—well, yes. …The problem is how the others will respond."
"Is it going to be difficult?"
"Y—yes."
At Rei's question, Robel nodded apologetically and explained the situation.
Fundamentally, most of those who held power in Egginis prioritized their own profits above all else.
For that very reason, even if they were told what the Dolan Workshop was doing, there was a high probability they would do nothing—so long as it served their interests.
No, far from doing nothing. There was even a chance that some would judge the situation to be advantageous and actively back the Dolan Workshop instead.
"Or rather, there are probably some among those running Egginis who are deeply connected to the Dolan Workshop. Otherwise, I can't fathom how the Workshop managed to move this conspicuously and keep it hidden for so long."
"I understand what Orban means, but if that's the case, there's no denying we'd be at a disadvantage. …If only we could figure out who it is, I could sneak in or launch a frontal assault."
"I'd like you to avoid that if at all possible. If you were to do something like that, Rei, Egginis would undoubtedly descend into chaos. Chaos that wouldn't even compare to the current situation."
Hearing Rei's words, Orban immediately called a halt.
For Orban, leaving the Dolan Workshop alone was out of the question—but Rei openly attacking someone in the middle of the city was even more out of the question.
"If it's a matter of sneaking in and stealing evidence, we'll dispatch someone from Fusetsu. You don't have to do it yourself, Rei. It's not my place to say this, but this is our profession. We're more accustomed to this kind of work than an adventurer like you."
"That's true, but… the target would be someone in the same position as Robel, right? Then just as Robel is connected to Fusetsu, isn't it possible they're connected to another assassin guild?"
"Likely. But in that case, if things go well, there's a chance we could persuade them without coming to blows… It's not impossible."
The way he fell silent for a few seconds mid-sentence suggested that even he didn't truly believe his own words would bear fruit.
Rei understood that as well, but given the current situation, there were more pressing matters to address before pressing him on it.
"To begin with, if we don't know who the other party is, there's nothing we can do anyway."
Among those who moved Egginis, who exactly was connected to the Dolan Workshop?
Without knowing that, they were helpless.
(At worst, there's the option of dealing with everyone besides Robel… but if I did something like that, Robel's position would suffer once this incident was settled. Then Robel could be removed from the picture, and it's not impossible the Dolan Workshop would rise again.)
Honestly, Rei also wondered whether he needed to worry that much about Robel.
But thinking about the future, it was equally true that he wanted to prevent another entity like the Dolan Workshop from emerging.
"Anyway, Fusetsu will handle gathering intelligence. If you move, Rei, you'll stand out—and I want to avoid that."
When Orban put it that way, Rei had no choice but to accept.
The fact was that he stood out just by acting alongside Seto.
Rei himself was confident in his stealth abilities. He was—but objectively speaking, leaving it to Fusetsu's assassins was undoubtedly the more reliable option.
"Understood. …But if anything happens, let me know right away. If it comes to that, we'll move immediately on our end too."
Rei moving meant he could no longer operate in secret.
Orban implicitly hinted as much, and Rei couldn't argue.
Because he understood that if he did, Orban would likely bring up his infiltration of the Dolan Workshop.
In reality, that infiltration had never been intended to end quietly to begin with.
After all, his primary objective had been rescuing Anne.
If it had been just Rei, that would have been one thing. But he'd been accompanied by Lindy, whose abilities as an adventurer were merely decent, and Anne, who was a complete amateur when it came to rough business. Under those conditions, getting through undetected had been utterly impossible.
"B—but… if we take our time investigating everyone, won't that take too long?"
Robel's words, spoken after watching the exchange between Rei and Orban, hit on an undeniable truth.
If Rei and the others were slow to act, that delay would likely work in the Dolan Workshop's favor.
Moreover, as time passed, the damage Robel's trading company would suffer from dealing in Dolan Workshop golems would only grow.
And Robel's trading company was large enough to rank among the top in Egginis.
For that very reason, if the truth about the Dolan Workshop's golems spread, the fallout would be significant.
"S—some people might not mind if the golems were made using bandits as material. But looking at the big picture, that's maybe thirty percent… no, even at the most generous estimate, around twenty percent. The remaining customers would need to be compensated in some form."
Golems were fundamentally expensive.
That was all the more true for the Dolan Workshop's golems, which were renowned as the highest-performance golems in Egginis.
If they had been obtained through direct trade with the Workshop, they could probably be purchased somewhat cheaper—but with Robel's trading company acting as intermediary, the price naturally climbed that much higher.
Since they couldn't discuss the Dolan Workshop matter given the current situation, Robel's trading company had to continue doing business with the full understanding that every sale meant greater losses down the line.
The one stroke of fortune was that the Dolan Workshop produced golems in small numbers, making them far from easy to obtain.
(Probably because even when using souls as material for golem cores, they can't produce a single core from a single person.)
If one soul could produce one golem core, then given the number of bandits who had vanished over time, it would be strange if far more golems hadn't been created.
Yet the number of golems actually being sold was by no means large.
Given that, one could surmise that multiple souls were required to create a single golem core.
(Ah, but there was that place where a huge number of golem cores were stored. I brought a few back from there… could those cores actually already have human souls embedded in them?)
He should have shown them to Roger.
With that thought, Rei spoke up.
"Actually, I stole some golem cores from the Dolan Workshop. Can you tell whether these have human souls used in them?"
Saying so, Rei produced a golem core from his Misty Ring.
"Eek!"
Robel shrieked at the sight of the golem core.
Because he knew how golem cores were manufactured at the Dolan Workshop, seeing one in person was what drew that scream from him.
Orban, by contrast, showed no particular surprise as he leaned in to observe the golem core placed on the table.
This was likely the composure of a man who led an assassin guild.
"Is this… from the Dolan Workshop?"
"Yeah. I took it when I snuck into the Workshop. …But for the rest of us here, looking at this core doesn't tell us much of anything."
Robel ran a trading company, but while he sold Dolan Workshop golems, he wasn't particularly knowledgeable about the golems themselves.
Orban led an assassin guild, but that didn't make him any more informed about the finer details of golems.
In that sense, Rei—as a mage—should have been the most knowledgeable about golems among those present. But Rei was the type who used magic through intuition rather than theory, and he wasn't well-versed in golem mechanics either.
So it was that none of the three assembled here were experts, but…
"I—if you'd like, shall I… call someone from my trading company who's knowledgeable about golems?"
As expected of a man running a trading company in Egginis, a city famous for its golem industry—even if Robel himself wasn't an expert, there were those within his company who were.
He was offering to summon one such person, but…
"Isn't that dangerous?"
Orban called a halt.
"Dangerous how?"
"Come on, Rei. This is the secret behind the Dolan Workshop's golems. What are you doing carelessly showing it to someone else? At worst, you'd drag that person into this whole mess too."
"Mm…"
Put that way, Rei couldn't exactly insist on bringing in a golem expert.
The manufacturing of golem cores through necromancy, as practiced by the Dolan Workshop, was that damaging to their reputation.
As if to underscore the point, Robel himself had said that if the truth about the Workshop's golems went public, it would be a best-case scenario if even twenty percent of users continued using them.
"But if there's someone who can actually investigate golem cores, it seems like a waste not to use them. …I could have Roger take a look, but considering it was just yesterday, I can't carelessly do something like that either."
"T—then, how about this?"
Even upon hearing that Rei was connected to Roger, Robel showed no particular surprise as he slipped into the conversation.
For Robel, who had been gathering information on Rei, the connection between Rei and Roger was probably something he already fully understood.
"I—I'll call someone knowledgeable about golems, but I won't tell them this core is from the Dolan Workshop. Without saying a word about its origin, I'll simply have them examine it."
"That's… I see. That could work. But even if you did that, wouldn't an expert recognize it as a Dolan Workshop core just by looking at it? Maybe even more so."
Robel nodded at Orban's words.
"T—that might be true. But to investigate this golem core, that's about the only option we have… Of course, if anything happens, I'll make sure to protect that person."
"Understood. If you say so, Robel, I won't press the matter further. What about you, Rei?"
"I'm fine with that too. Personally, I'd be glad if we could learn something about this core."
As both Orban and Rei nodded in agreement, Robel rose to his feet with a look of resolve.
"T—then please wait a moment. I'll go call someone."
So saying, he left the room.
"Why does Robel go fetch them himself? He could just order a subordinate to do it."
"That's Robel's good quality—and the reason his subordinates are so devoted to him."
"Is that how it works? I'd think Robel moving personally like that could cause all sorts of problems, but… well, if you say it's fine, I don't have anything more to add."
Rei remained seated on the sofa, waiting for Robel to return.